Patriots Trade Duron Harmon To Lions
The Patriots have traded defensive back Duron Harmon to the Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This will be another Patriots pick-swap deal, with Harmon and a seventh-round pick (No. 235 overall) going to Detroit in exchange for a fifth-rounder (No. 172), NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Harmon has history with head coach Matt Patricia, who previously served as the commander of the Patriots’ defense. Patricia has made it a point to bring in familiar faces from New England over the years and Harmon is just the latest to come through the pipeline.
The 29-year-old has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Patriots with near-perfect attendance. Last year, the Pats put him in the starting lineup for eight games and he finished out with 22 stops, two interceptions, and five passes defensed.
Harmon has one year to go on his deal and is set to earn a base salary of $3.5MM in 2020. After that, he’ll be on course for unrestricted free agency.
Earlier today, the Lions tapped another ex-Patriot in defensive tackle Danny Shelton. And, on Monday, they made an even bigger ex-Pats splash by agreeing to terms with linebacker Jamie Collins.
49ers, OL Tom Compton Agree To Deal
Shortly after the 49ers moved on from multiyear starting guard Mike Person, they agreed to terms with Tom Compton. The defending NFC champions will add Compton on a one-year, $3MM deal, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets.
The 49ers will be Compton’s fifth team in five years. Following four years with the Redskins, the veteran offensive lineman has become one of the league’s most available journeymen. Compton, 30, has played in at least 11 games with different teams over the past four seasons — the Falcons, Bears, Vikings and Jets.
At two of his previous career stops, however, Compton worked with 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan. The ex-Washington and Atlanta OC may have designs on plugging him into Person’s role opposite Laken Tomlinson or placing him in a competition with another familiar blocker. The 49ers now have Compton and 31-year-old swing man Ben Garland in the fold; each has played for Shanahan in multiple cities. Garland and Compton were teammates with the ’16 Falcons as well.
A former sixth-round pick out of South Dakota, Compton has spent most of his career as a backup. His lone season as a full-time starter came with the 2018 Vikings, whose offensive line was not exactly a celebrated unit. Compton played 363 snaps last season with the Jets, starting five games for an embattled unit, and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 67 overall guard.
Cardinals To Sign De’Vondre Campbell
Another day, another pay day for a Drew Rosenhaus client. On Thursday, the Cardinals agreed to sign former Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell to a one-year deal worth up to $8.5MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The exact terms of the deal are not yet known, so it will be interesting to see how much Campbell has secured in the form of guaranteed dollars and base pay. The real dollar amount is likely to be favorable for him – last year, he led the Falcons in tackles for the second straight year and turned in a perfect attendance record for the third straight season.
Campbell is a top-end run-stopper who took a major leap forward in 2019. In a perfect world, the Falcons would have liked to keep him, but the numbers crunch has forced them to make some tough choices in March.
Campbell drew trade interest before the deadline in October, but the Falcons opted to hold on to him. After a disappointing season, the Falcons might regret passing up the opportunity to get something in return for him. On the plus side, Campbell may factor into their compensatory pick formula.
Browns To Sign DT Andrew Billings
The Browns are about to get more of Andrew Billings in their lives. The former Bengals defensive tackle has agreed to sign with Cincy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Billings will ink a one-year deal worth $3.5MM fully guaranteed. The structure could be indicative of the current climate and reflective of player concerns during this period of uncertainty. Either way, it’s a solid deal for both sides. The Browns get a former starter on the cheap who can push opposing lineman thanks to his 328-pound frame. Billings, meanwhile, has security and a chance to cash in if he performs.
Billings, 25, has appeared in 47 games with 37 starts for the Bengals over the last three years. He came into the league as a fourth-round pick in 2016, but saw his entire season wiped out by a knee injury.
Broncos To Waive Joe Flacco
The Joe Flacco era in Denver is over. The Broncos will waive the quarterback with a failed physical designation, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Flacco will join a crowded quarterback market after a rocky stretch with the Broncos. Injuries have hampered Flacco throughout his career and its only gotten worse as of late.
The former Super-Bowl MVP missed time in 2015 and 2018 and also played through back pain in 2017, but his latest neck injury was especially serious. In early November, the Broncos shut the signal caller down for the second half of the season. Up to that point of the campaign, Flacco had completed 65.3% of his passes. While that was an impressive number, he also threw just six touchdown passes against five interceptions.
Now 35, Flacco is set to enter his 13th NFL season. To date, he’s played in 171 games with 218 touchdowns vs. 141 interceptions. The memed “elite” debate aside, he’s accomplished a ton, including 15 career playoff starts and a Super Bowl victory.
Flacco and Jameis Winston are among the high-profile QBs still available in free agency. Meanwhile, Andy Dalton and Cam Newton are on the trading block.
Patriots’ Joe Thuney Signs Franchise Tender
Done deal. On Thursday, offensive lineman Joe Thuney inked his one-year franchise tag tender with the Patriots, according to agent Mike McCartney (on Twitter).
For weeks, we heard that the Patriots were unlikely to retain Thuney. Then, this week, they threw everyone a curveball by assigning him the franchise tag. Initially, many speculated that Thuney would be a tag-and-trade candidate, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Patriots are already discussing a long-term deal with the 27-year-old, so it sounds like he’s in their plans for 2020 and beyond.
With the deal signed, Thuney is slated to earn $14.8MM in 2020. The two sides can continue talks on a potential extension up until the summer deadline for franchise tagged players. If they can’t reach an accord by then, they’ll have to wait until after the 2020 season to pick things up again.
Bengals To Sign Mackensie Alexander
The Bengals have agreed to sign former Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He’ll get a one-year, $4MM deal from the club – a pact that could prove to be a solid value for Cincy.
Alexander had his meniscus trimmed in January, a procedure that probably impacted his market. But, before that, he was enjoying a productive season. Alexander registered 38 tackles and five passes defensed in 13 games. Unfortunately, the injury kept him out of the Vikings’ postseason.
The Vikings secondary will look totally different in 2020. This month, they’ve lost Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Jayron Kearse in addition to Alexander. Meanwhile, we’re waiting to see how things shake out with Anthony Harris.
Giants To Sign Nate Ebner
The Giants have agreed to sign special teams ace Nate Ebner, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Ebner is just the latest free agent to depart from the Patriots and he’ll find a familiar face in head coach Joe Judge when he arrives in New Jersey.
Ebner, who has a background in rugby, has been with the Pats since 2012. He voiced a desire to stay but, ultimately, the two sides weren’t able to come to terms on a new deal.
“That would be the best thing, I think, when you consider my entire career has been here,” Ebner said recently when asked about the possibility of re-signing. “I’ve got some true friendships here. … But right now it’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”
The former sixth-rounder has won three Super Bowl rings across eight years in New England.
Lions To Sign S Jayron Kearse
Early this morning, the Lions agreed to sign former Vikings safety Jayron Kearse to a one-year, $2.75MM deal, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Kearse will be a part of the Lions’ new-look secondary, one that must figure out how to contain the pass without the services of Darius Slay.
[RELATED: Lions Trade Darius Slay To Eagles]
Late last week, Kearse took to social media to announce that he did not want to come back to the Vikings this season. He got his wish. Unfortunately for him, he might not be able to suit up for his new team when the season begins in September – a DWI arrest may result in discipline from the NFL. And, per the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, he could see a longer ban and a steeper fine.
The Lions have moved fast to remake their defense this week, adding safety Duron Harmon, linebacker Jamie Collins, cornerback Desmond Trufant, and defensive tackles Nick Williams and Danny Shelton. Among those leaving Detroit: Slay, linebacker Devon Kennard, and DTs Damon Harrison, A’Shawn Robinson, and Mike Daniels.
Lions To Trade Darius Slay To Eagles
The Lions and Eagles have reached agreement on a trade that will send cornerback Darius Slay to Philly, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Eagles will send a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to the Lions and give Slay the lucrative new contract he has been seeking. 
The two sides discussed a possible trade prior to the deadline last season, but were unable to come to terms. Talks picked up steam on Wednesday, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) noted.
The Eagles will give Slay a three-year, $50MM contract extension with $30MM guaranteed, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). The new deal places Slay at the top of the cornerback market; the salary is commensurate with his talent, unlike his previous deal. Slay outperformed his four-year, $48MM contract as the market advanced and he was unhappy about the prospect of playing out that final year.
Slay, 29, notched 46 tackles and two interceptions last year en route to his third straight Pro Bowl. The advanced metrics weren’t high on his work, but he’s fared much better in previous seasons. In 2018, for example, Slay ranked 23rd among 112 eligible CBs. And, in 2017, he graded out as one of PFF’s best as he hauled in a league-leading eight interceptions.
The deal leaves the Lions with a major hole to fill, but their reloaded draft stockpile should help. The deal will bring them the Nos. 85 and 166 overall picks in the draft and they now own five of the top 85 picks. Their first pick comes at No. 3 overall and they could stretch their ammo even further by trading down.
Way back on Monday, March 16th (it’s been a long week), Byron Jones became the league’s highest-paid cornerback by signing a five-year, $82.5MM deal with the Dolphins. That mantle now belongs to Slay, who clocks in with an average annual value of $16.67MM.